PREPARE AND DISPLAY PETIT FOUR OBJECTIVES At the end of the period, the students will: Prepare, cut and assemble sponges and bases according to standard recipes and enterprise requirements and practices Prepare fillings with the required flavors and consistency Prepare fondant icing following required temperature and standard procedure Design and use decorations in accordance with establishment standards and procedures Delicate and sweet, these lemon berry petit fours are bite-size mini cakes perfect for weddings, parties, tea time, bridal and baby showers. Topped with a simple white chocolate garnish, this petit four recipe is easy and approachable. Perfect for beginners! Petit Fours refer to: Small biscuits and cakes tastefully decorated Sweetmeat and cakes designed to be served as dessert with after dinner coffee or cocktails. Petit Fours should be small. They are often made into different shapes. They are delicate, crisp, fresh, attractive, light, and designed to be swallowed in just one or two mouthfuls. It is prepared from a variety of ingredients. They are usually small pieces that have been baked. While the emphasis is on small, non-baked confectionery items like caramelized and glace fruits, marzipan shapes, or other small sweet delicacies are also served as Petit Fours. Iced petit four are small, bite-sized cakes with a thin coating of glaze, typically fondant, which is applied at the end of the production process. Assembled in large sheets and cut after setting up, petit fours glaze contain thin layers of cake alternating with jam and/or butter cream. The top of the cake is adorned with a thin layer of marzipan to add flavor, as well as a smooth surface for the glaze to settle on. Marzipan is made from almond paste, a cooked sugar syrup, and sometimes glucose and/or egg white. After the cake is cut, it can be enrobed in fondant, or sometimes dipped in chocolate. Petit fours glazes are typically finished with intricate, stylized piping. Types or kinds of petit four bases: The base for petit four can be marzipan and sponge. A petit four base must be strong enough to hold the petit fours. Cake can be baked in shallow trays then topped with soft topping then cut to shape desired similar to sponge sheets Shortbread mixture of flour, fat and sugar, enriched with egg and has a short eating quality Pastry puff pastry can make a suitable base for petit fours when a sweet filling is used. Sponge baked in thin sheets and layered together with filling which act as an adhesive to hold the sheets of sponge together. Filling and flavor for iced petit four Jams are high in moisture is used to enhance flavor, add moisture, and to bind the product. Blend jam until a smooth consistency is attained, making sure no lumps are present, as they will tear sponge cake. Ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream. Ganache carry alcohol flavors well to add interest to the petit fours. When ganache is agitated it must be worked quickly as it will set. Butter creams need to be chilled before cutting. Butter creams are flexible for decorating the tops of petit fours as they can be flavored and easily piped. However, they can be easily damaged at room temperature. Design and display iced petit four It is important to design, decorate, and display petit fours to: Make them more attractive and appetizing enhance presentation, and visual and textural diversity. Sample petit four design Summary Prepare bases Production of the bases is the easy part. Sheet bases need to be thin and even across all the area. Avoid lumps and bumps. Bases made out of any dry pastry cake or sponge. Cut to shape Any shape can be used but wastage needs to be added to the cost of production. It is best to use straight lines. Cut small. Glazing Do not prepare glaze too far ahead or it may lose shine, gloss, heat. The preparation will need to be done again. Product must be dry. Plenty of workspace is required. Decorate to enhance appeal Plan the decoration. Avoid very big decorations. Complement the petit fours. Display Use consistent shape. Use consistent configuration. Alternating height and profiles. Prepare fresh petit four Bake and decorate a selection of small choux paste shapes in accordance with established standards and procedures. Prepare and blend baked sweet paste in accordance with establishment standards and procedures. Prepare and use fillings the required flavors and correct consistency. Use garnishes, glazes and finished in accordance with established standards and procedures. Fresh petit four Fresh petit fours also called petit fours fraise or fresh are moist, filled with pastry cream and often topped with fresh fruits miniature éclairs, and cream puff. This type of petit fours is created with mini pastries. The most common types of mini pastries are fruit tarts, éclairs or cream puffs. Cream puffs and éclairs are filled with butter cream or pastry cream, while fruit tarts are made with custard and fresh fruits on top. Some fresh petit fours are made with marzipan and look like truffles. Fresh petit fours are not typically glazed, but some éclairs and cream puffs have a chocolate glaze placed on top to finish them off. Prepare marzipan petit fours Flavor and shape Quality marzipan to produce mini-sized fruits in accordance with enterprise and client requirements. Coat Marzipan fruits to preserve desired eating characteristics and softened with egg whites, piped into shapes and sealed/browned with applied heat, according to enterprise practice. Prepare and display marzipan based petit fours Marzipan is a sweetened mixture of ground almonds, liquid glucose or egg whites, corn syrup or sugar syrup and either icing sugar or caster sugar. It is also known as almond paste. Marzipan is a very versatile paste. Petit Fours based on a marzipan are attractive and popular for their color and appearance and their delicate pleasing taste. Category of Marzipan Group Ingredients A Almond meal, blanched icing sugar Quantity 200g 275g B Brandy almond extract 1tsp 1 drop C Sugar syrup glucose, warm 100ml +/ 40g Procedure: 1. Sift the icing sugar and combine ingredients from group A into a bowl. 2. Add the ingredients from group B and gradually add the warm glucose. 3. Knead until it forms like dough. 4. Wrap tightly. The marzipan needs to be stored and protected after making it. It will dry and these dry pieces will have an unpleasant texture should it be incorporated into the mix. Modelled Marzipan Marzipans can be modelled into various fruit, vegetables, animals, and flower shapes. The most popular items are small marzipan fruits served as petit fours or candies. To store marzipan, wrap it in a plastic cling wrap and place it in an airtight container. Fruits and Flowers To make small fruits, divide the paste into equal portions first. Carefully cut the rectangle into 4 rows of 8 to make 32 equal pieces with a knife. Begin by rolling each piece between the palms of your hands into around ball that is perfectly smooth and free of seams and cracks. Then start molding the balls with your fingers into the shapes of pears, apples, and other fruits. The best way to make realistic looking fruits is to use real fruits as models. Imitate the shapes of the real fruits as closely as possible. You can add special effects using ordinary tools or special modelling tools. Let the fruits dry overnight before coloring. Flowers such as carnations and roses can be used to decorate cakes as well as display pieces. Storage and Service of Petit Fours Storage plays an important role in the production and serving of petit fours. The environmental and individual characteristics of each item needs to be taken into consideration. If the item is susceptible to humidity, it should be held airtight, vacuum sealed when possible. To maintain its freshness which is a defining characteristics of a petit fours, it is produce as close to serving as possible. Caramelized petit four may have a shelf life of roughly 1 to 2 weeks. Fresh petit fours are kept for shorter periods of time, which varies by product. Freezing is a good option for many of the bases and dough which can be made up ahead of time and held until ready to bake or assemble.
